Improvement in carpet-sweepers



F.- H. ROPER.

CARPETSWEEPER.

Patented April 11, 1876.

N. PETERS, FHQTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHING"! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

FOSTER H. ROPER, OF MILTON, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN J. HALEY, OF NEWTON, ANDHENRY G. MORSE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS SAID vFIALEY AND MORSEASSIGNORS TO CHAS W; BASSETT, OF NEWTON, MASS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARPET-SWEEPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 176,068, dated April11, 1876 application filed June 27, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FOSTER. H. Borne, ofMilton, Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements inCarpet-Sweepers, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to supporting the brush of a carpet-sweeper in sucha manner that it can be readily removed from and replaced in its case,for the purpose of clearing the spindle and its bearing of obstructions;and consists in the combination of an open bearing and a locking-piece,with the vertical walls and the brush-shaft of the sweeper, in such amanner that the brush will be securely held in its place when thelocking-piece and open hearing are in one position relatively to eachother, and yet may be readily removed and replaced when they are inanother relative position.

In the drawings, A represents an end-board of the sweeper-case, having acylindrical brush revolving on the spindle B; U, the open hearing,formed upon the end plate 6, attached to the end-board A; and D, thelocking-piece, also attached to the end-board by a fulcrumscrew.

It will be seen that when the locking-piece D is in the position shownin full lines in Figure 1, its end will close the bearing 0, and thebrush-spindle B will be secured thereby in the hearing; but when thelocking-lever is moved on the pivot into the position shown in dot-tedlines, the bearing is thereby opened, and the brush can be readilyremoved therefrom. 111 this inclined position, the lever D serves as aguide in replacing the spindle B, and the curved rib adjoining the openbearing on the end plate 6 co-operates to the same end. Stops preventtoo great a movement of the lever in either direction.

The tendency of the brush-spindle to escape from the bearing is, whenthe bearing is closed by the locking-piece, as in Fig. 1, resisted bythe end of the lever, the plane of its end face being nearly at rightangles to its length. Hence, the fixed fulcrum on which the lever Dmoves presents a rigid resistance to the escape of the spindle from thebearing, and a pressure of the spindle against the lever end does nottend to turn the lever on its pivot or to open the bearing. Thisapplication of my invention is a peculiar and valuable feature of it, asit renders the lever D distinctively self-locking. Hence, I prefer thisparticular arrangement to the use of a lever, presenting its side to thespindle, and so liable to be displaced unless some other locking deviceis also employed. It is, for the same reason, decidedly preferable toany arrangement of springs closing the bearing with a yielding piece.

In the use of the locking-piece, as in Fig. 1, the closed cover wouldprevent its displacement were there any tendency in that direction; and,again, the greater weight of the long arm of the lever, or its frictionon the parts with which it comes in contact, would have the same effect,Without the necessity of any special holding devices to retain the leverin its working position.

The open bearin g and locking-piece are only required at one end of thebrush. The hearing at the other end, and, preferably, at the drivingend, may be an ordinary closed cylindrical or slightly-tapering socket,care being taken not to have it fit the spindle so closely as to preventinclining it somewhat in removing the brush.

The bearings may be formed directly upon the inner surface of the endwall when the case is made of cast iron but when it is made of wood, Iprefer always to form them upon a plate, 0, separate from the end boardA, for convenience in adjusting them thereupon.

I do not intend to confine myself to the arrangement of the open bearingand lockinglever, shown in Fig. 1, for it is evident that sucharrangement may be considerably modified without departing from thespirit of my invention.

One such modification is shown in Fig. 2, in which the locking-piece isstationary and the open bearing movable; or, since both these parts areessential to the complete bearing, we may consider D as the openbearing, and O the locking-lever, a counter weight at the end serving toprevent accidental displacement when in use.

I am aware that in carpet-sweepers an open hearing has been used incombination with a spring, as shown in the Letters Patent No. 146,016,to Palmer & Spencer, and I distinctly disclaim all spring-bearings; but

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a carpet-sweeper, of thecase A, brush B, open bearing 0, prolonged to form a spindle-guide, andthe locking-piece D, substantially as described.

2. The pivoted locking-lever D, serving to open and to close the bearing0, and also as a guide in replacing the spindle B.

3. In combination with the end-board and brush of a carpet-sweeper, theplate 0, having formed theron an open hearing at right angles to theend-board to which it is secured, and a locking-lever closing saidbearing rigidly, substantially as described.

Witnesses:

J. E. KNOX, J. E. MAYNADIER.

FOSTER H. ROPER.

